Deadly Emotions - Part 2

Understand the MIND-BODY-SPIRIT.  

Connection that can heal OR destroy you.


STRESS, STRESS, AND MORE STRESS

"Stress is mental or physical tension, strain, or pressure.  I like the spin stress researchers and authors Doc Childre and Howard Martin give this definition:

Stress is the body and mind's response to any pressure that disrupts their normal balance.  It occurs when our perceptions of events don't meet our expectations and we don't manage our reaction to the disappointment.  Stress-- that unmanaged reaction-- expresses itself as resistance, tension, strain, or frustration, throwing off our physiological and psychological equilibrium and keeping us out of sync.  If our equilibrium is disturbed for long, the stress becomes disabling.  We fade from overload, feel emotionally shut down, and eventually get sick."

I am always talking about the importance of keeping our state of mind at the best that it can be because, if one thing is out of sync... .then everything else is also.  Well, this book links specific emotions to specific diseases.  I found it very interesting.  If you would like to order a copy, CLICK HERE.  

Now, we already know that everybody has everyday stress in their lives from having to make decisions, to problems in the family, to schedules to keep, etc...  However, we also know that being over-stressed or not managing our stress is NOT good.

Question:  So what if I am over-stressed.  What harm is it going to do me physically?

Answer:  Many studies have been done on over stress or mismanaged stress.  Below, are a few results.  Please go to end of post for the list of stress-related symptoms:

          *  Unmanaged emotional stress has a 40% higher death rate
               than non-stressed individuals.
          *  For those who are heart attack survivors, anger brought on
              by emotional conflicts doubled the risk of subsequent heart 
              attacks compared to those who controlled their stress and remained calm.
          *  Men who worried about social conditions, health, and personal
              finances had a significantly increased risk of coronary heart disease.
          *  Professional women that deals with tension between career and 
              personal commitment to spouse, children, and friends was a
              factor associated with heart disease in women.
          *  Individuals between the ages of 55 and 85 who reported the 
              highest levels of personal "mastery" -- feelings of control over
              life events -- had a nearly 60% lower risk of death compared
             with those who felt relatively helpless in the face of life's challenges.
          *  Psychological stress was the strongest predictor of future 
              cardiac events, including cardiac death, cardiac arrest, and heart attack.

So, what are we saying... UNMANAGED STRESS OR BEING OVERLY-STRESSED can cause heart issues.

Question:  How?

Answer:  I am going to put this in the form of the use of a cell phone for easier understanding.  There is a link between our brain (what we think) and what we experience in the body.  This link is called "Neuropeptides" (chain of amino acids)  Neuropeptides are our cell phones that allows communication.  They are sent along the nervous cells throughout the body).  The brain makes an international cell phone call all over the body and the immune system cells return the cell call back to the brain and remembers the conversation to a certain degree.

When different stresses occur, the brain makes a cell call and gives instruction to the body causing different physical and chemical stress reactions to be triggered and different hormones and neurotransmitters to be activated.  The body will continue to produce these hormones and such until the brain makes another cell call to give instructions to stop.  If long-term emotional stress continues, the brain doesn't make the "stop" cell call and so the hormone levels will reach the chronic level, the production of the hormones become and remain high, thus it becomes destructive and toxic and eventually deadly.

Question:  So, what can we do about it?

Answer:  The body perceives stress from good and bad experiences the same way.  So, there are 2 principles we must keep in mind.  

Principle #1 - Not all stress is equal. 

 i.e. - intense grief is far more damaging than intense joy. The most damaging of emotions are:  rage, unforgiveness, depression, anger, worry, frustration, fear, grief, and guilt.

Principle #2 - We need to learn how to turn off the stress switch

Stress is not about events and experiences as much as it is about a person's perception of their circumstances.  The level of stress has to do with what a person believes.  So, you have the power to control your state of mind.  Therefore, you have the power to turn off the stress switch.

There are many ways to change your state of mind in a non-hazardous situation and to prevent mis-management of stress.

* Meditation

* Positive Affirmations
* Personal "Me" Time
* Frequent Breaks to give your mind a chance to rest from the stress.
* Medication
* Imagery - Imagining positive outcomes or relaxing and comforting surroundings.
* Relaxation Techniques
* Preparation - Expect the best but plan for the worst so as not to be caught off guard.
* Non-procrastination - When needing to complete a task in a short period of time.
* Distraction - When needing to take your mind off of a stressful situation.
* Non-Distraction - When needing to get something stressful completed quickly.


There are many more depending on the many thousands of situations and circumstances.


Again, if you would like to order a copy of the "Deadly Emotions", CLICK HERE.  

STRESS RELATED SYMPTOMS

* Heart and Vascular Problems:  Hypertension, Palpitations, Arrhythmias, dizziness and lightheadedness, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Irregular heartbeats

* Gastrointestinal Problems:  Gastro-Reflux disease, Ulcers, Gastritis, Heartburn, Indigestion, Constipation, Diarrhea and bowel irregularities, Irritable bowel syndrome, Inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis).

* Headaches - Migraines and tension headaches.

* Skin Conditions - Psoriasis, Eczema, Hives, Acne

* Genitourinary Tract - Infection of the prostate, yeast infections, frequent urination, loss of sex drive/impotence, frequent Urinary Tract Infections, Lower progesterone and testosterone levels.

*Pain and Inflammation - Chronic back pain, Fibromyalgia, Chronic pain syndromes, Tendonitis, Carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ problems.

* Lung and Breathing Problems - Chronic or recurrent colds, sinus infections, sore throats, ear infections, Chronic or recurrent bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, bronchospasms, Shortness of breath, Hyperventilation.

* Immune Impairment - Chronic fatigue, Chronie and recurring infections of all types.

Overly or mis-managed stress is linked to:  Cancer, Automimmune Diseases, Allergies, Skin Diseases, and more.

If you are over-stressed or you are not managing your stress, it is time to find a way to decrease your stress and take control TODAY!

Again, if you would like to order a copy of the "Deadly Emotions", CLICK HERE.  

Remember, your state of mind is of the utmost importance to keep healthy because as your state of mind is... so you are.

Deadly Emotions

Understand the MIND-BODY-SPIRIT.  

Connection that can heal OR destroy you.

I recently had the opportunity to view a book.  I had the book in my bookshelf for a long time and never realized that it was even there.  When I found it, I found a gem of great price and I want to share some of the information that it has in it.  The book is called "Deadly Emotions" by Don Colbert M.D.  It talks about the relationship between the mind, body, and spirit... the emotions and illness.


I am always talking about the importance of keeping our state of mind at the best that it can be because, if one thing is out of sync... .then everything else is also.  Well, this book links specific emotions to specific diseases.  I found it very interesting.  If you would like to order a copy, CLICK HERE.  


I would rather you read the exact words as to not miss what the good doctor is trying to say.  So, I will be taking excerpts from different areas of the book.


Chapter One:  What You Feel Emotionally Becomes How You Feel Physically


"A friend of mine-in good health, I hasten to add-once said to me, "After my husband left me, I was heartbroken.  I truly had meant my vows and I was ready to tough out just about anything:  better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness or health.  It never crossed my mind that I'd get worse, poor, and a husband who was emotionally sick all at once in the first two years of our marriage."  My friend continued, "Shortly after Todd left, my friend Ellen came to me and said something that I thought was strange.  She said, 'Really take care of your health, Jess.  Do the right things.  Don't get sick.'  "Other people had come to me during that time to tell me I needed to get into therapy, pray more, laugh more, go out with friends more, join this club or that club, or do various other things to get over my heartache.  Ellen came to me with words about my physical health and she caught me off guard.  "I asked, 'What do you mean?' She said, 'I know you're doing the right things mentally and emotionally.  Just keep exercising and getting enough rest and eating the right things.  You've got to build up your strength and energy.'  "I had to admit that she might be making a good point.  In the weeks after the divorce, I found myself sleeping a lot-more than usual and maybe even more than necessary.  I didn't seem to have as much strength or energy as I had enjoyed just a few months before.  I pressed her further, 'Why are you saying this to me?  What do you know that I need to know?'  She said. 'Jess, I've seen a lot of people get sick after they get divorced.' I knew Ellen was a nurse.  I asked, 'You see them in the hospital?' She replied, 'Or in the funeral home.  I know of at least two dozen people who developed very serious diseases two to five years after their divorces.  At least nine of those people have died.'  "Ellen got my attention," my friend Jess concluded. "I made a decision that very day that I was going to do everything in my power to stop wallowing in my heartache and to start building strength and energy.  I started on a very serious health program of exercise, eating the right foods, and taking time to rest and have fun with friends.  I also started on a serious program of spiritual renewal.  I stayed well.  In fact, I became stronger and more energetic and more productive than I was before my wedding."  Jess put into words what many physicians know intuitively.  Through the years we physicians frequently see patients go through emotionally devastating experiences such as divorce, bankruptcy, or death of a child - only to see those patients experience heart attacks, recurrences of cancer, autoimmune disease, or serious crippling or disabling conditions.  As physicians, however, the vast majority of us have been trained to separate emotions from physical disease.  out training teaches us that emotions are... well, emotional.  Disease are strictly physical.  Increasingly, however, we are having to confront the fact that the body cannot differentiate between stress that physical factors cause and stress that emotional factors cause.  Stress is stress.  And the consequences of too much unmediated stress are the same regardless of the factors that led to a buildup."


WOW... WOW!  Our state of mind truly does control our bodies even to the physical realm!  This is an enlightening book and as I learn different areas in it over the next few weeks, I will share some specifics with you.


Again, if you would like to order a copy of the "Deadly Emotions", CLICK HERE.  


Remember, your state of mind is of the utmost importance to keep healthy because as your state of mind is... so you are.